(indieWIRE/04.26.01) — Another LA Film Fest movie has announced adistribution pact at the event. Marina Zenovich‘s world premiere LAFFdocumentary, “Who is Bernard Tapie,” has been acquired by Sundance Channel in a deal for the movie’s US television rights.

The DV doc, a portrait of the elusive Frenchman Bernard Tapie, was firstscreened as a trailer at the 1998 Independent Feature Film Market. Tapie,well-known in France, is a multi-faceted figure. Known as one who was closeto France’s late President Francois Mitterand, Tapie also acted in a film(“Hommes, Femmes: Mode d’Emploi“), hosted a TV talk show, was a businessmanand even owned a soccer team before being sent to prison and penning apopular autobiography.

“Tapie,” which Zenovich finished on Sunday, screened for the first time onMonday night at the DGA Theater on Sunset. The venue holds a special placein Zenovich’s heart, as she told indieWIRE yesterday — it was the theaterwhere she first saw Tapie, on screen in “Hommes, Femmes: Mode d’Emploi.”She began asking people about him and thus began her journey to make senseof this enigma.

The filmmaker is known for “Independent’s Day,” her doc about the indiefilmscene, and her work on John Pierson‘s series, “Split Screen.” The moviewill screen again tonight (Thursday) at the DGA and next up is a showing atthe Maryland Film Festival next month and the Florida Film Festival in June. [Eugene Hernandez]

>> “E-Dreams,” Doc about the Rise and Fall of Kozmo.com, Debuts Tonight

(indieWIRE/04.26.01) — The day before news of Kozmo.com‘s demise, filmmakerWonsuk Chin was at The Orphanage in San Francisco making the final tweaks to “E-Dreams,” his documentary about the rise and fall of the popular delivery service. Wonsuk Chin was moments away from locking his movie when an emailcame in, breaking the news. After some frantic phone calls to Kozmo.comco-founder Joseph Park, Chin confirmed that the very next day the companywould announce its closure. With fifteen minutes to spare before heading tothe airport, the director was able to change the postscript on his finalprint. The movie will screen for the first time tonight (Thursday) atLincoln Center as part of the Independent Feature Project‘s “Independents Night” series at the Film Society of Lincoln Center‘s Walter Reade Theater.

There, co-Founder Park will see the movie for the first time, according tothe director, along with other former Kozmo.com employees and even a groupof investment bankers, not to mention intrigued journalists.

Chin shot the first of his 140 hours of DV tape in October of ’99, asKozmo took off. The director told indieWIRE yesterday that he hit the groundrunning with his Canon XL1 camera and traveled to numerous cities to nab theinside story on the company. One of the film’s highlights is sure to be ascene shot at Kozmo’s swanky 2000 Oscar party in which Park took thespotlight and touted the company’s coming IPO. Only a few weeks latereverything changed and by July, Park had stepped down as CEO.

“I wanted to concentrate on the absurdity of the rapid rise and the abruptfall,” the filmmaker, who also directed the Sundance ’98 entry “Too Tired toDie,” told indieWIRE yesterday.

“The sheer momentum that they were building, I have never seen anything likeit,” Chin added. “The energy there was very contagious. I was just afilmmaker following these guys around, but I could feel the energy.”

Next up for the movie: screenings at the Jeonju International Film Festivalin Korea and the Seattle International Film Festival. Beyond that, Wonsuk iswaiting to see how the film is received tonight, hoping that “E-Dreams”fares better than its subject matter. [Eugene Hernandez]

(indieWIRE/04.25.01) — Following its debut at the Los Angeles FilmFestival, Jesse Peretz‘s “The Chateau” has been acquired by IFC Films. Also, Bill Ivey, Chariman of The National Endowment for the Arts, has given George W. Bush his resignation, eight months before the end of his term.”